Molding-machine.



O. J. VBSPER.

MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLoATIoN FILED JUNE 5, 1912.

1,098, 1 94. Patented May 26, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

abme/1,

0. J. VESPER.

MOLDING MACHINE.

UNITED srAfrEs PATENT oEEioE. y

ORA J.. VESIER, 0E ASHLAND, OHIO.

MOLDING-MACHINE.

Application led June 5, 1912. Serial No. 701,785.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ORA J. VESPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a machine for molding blocks of concrete or other plastic material.

An important object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above mentioned character,which may be employed to give the faces of the blocks a, smooth or rough, stone finish.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel-'and simple means for operating the movable elements of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above mentioned character, which is simple in construction, easy to operate, and cheap to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means whereby the face plates may be moved toward or away from each other, to make blocks of different sizes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication and in which like numerals are employed, to designate like parts throughout the same, Figure. 1 is a,

plan view of the machine, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is an end view of the same, Fig. 4 is a similar view, the face or design plate being in its open position, Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 2, and, Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the machine.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 1 designates upstandin end pieces, carrying depending legs 2, which are mounted upon fixed bases 3.

The numeral 4 designates swinging arms which constitute a support for a face or design plate 5, which is detachably connected therewith at its ends by any suitable means. The face plate 5 has its inner surface provided with means to form the desired design upon the face of the block. In practice I provide any number of these face plates 5- vto receive reduced end portions of a horizontal shaft 7. The reduced end portions of 'the shaft 7 also extend within'bearings 8,

which are rigidly attached to the forward edges of the legs 2. The swinging arms 4 are provided at their upper ends with openings 9, for receiving horizontal forwardly extending lugs or elements 10, which are fixed to the upper ends of the end pieces 1. These lugs or yelements 10 are apertured, as

shown at 11, for receiving the outer ends of latch rods 12. These latch rods operate,

i through guide brackets 13, which are secured upon a horizontal strip 14, which lies between the arms 4, when they are swung up. At their inner ends 'the latch rods 12 are pivotally connected with a hand lever 14, as shown at 15, above and below the pivot point 16 of such hand lever. It is thus seen that the hand lever 14 may be manipulated to move the latch rods 12 into and out of the. openings 11 formed in the lugs 10.

Disposed between the legs 2 of the end pieces are upstanding pedestals or core legs Patented May 26, 1914.

1 7, which are suitably spaced, as shown, and

fixedly held'l in such positions by suitable means.' The core legs 17 have cores 18 removably mounted upon their upper ends and rigidly held thereon by bolts 19 0r the like. Vertically movable between the ends pieces 1 is a horizontal pallet-bed 20, (see Fig. 5)v upon the upper surface of which is detachably connected a pallet or bed plate- 21, by means of counter-sunk screws (not shown) or the like. The pallet-bed 20 and the pallet. 21 are provided with registering openings 22, for receiving therethrough the stationary cores 18. Rigidly connected with the palletbed 20 near the ends thereof are depending arms or brackets 23, which are bent out- -wardly near their lower ends, for connecshown at 2T, are pitmen 28, extending upwardly for pivotal connection, as shown at 29, with piivoted elements or wheels 30. T he wheels 30 are pivotally mounted upon the outer Faces et the end pieces 1, as shown at 31.

The numeral designates upper pitmen which are pivoially connected with the wheels 30, asishown at 33, and are pivotally connected with the upper ends of the swinging arms 4, as shown at 34. vThe wheels 30 are provided on the greater portion of their periphery with sprocket teeth 35, engaged by sprocket chains 3G, as shown. The upper ends of these sprocket chains are suitably igierznanently attached to the wheels 30, while their lower ends are connected with a treadle or :toot bar 37.` This treadle or foot bar is horizontally disposed forwardly of the end pieces l, and is provided with depending heads at its ends, which are apertured for receiving vertical guide rods 39, which in turn are rigidly connected with the `forward legs 2 by means of iXed brackets 40 or the like.

The numeral 41 designates a rear face plate, which may have its inner surface smooth or may be provided with means for producing a desired design upon the block. Ordinarily plastic blocks have only their outer faces ornamented and when this is the case the face plate 41 will have a smooth surface. The face plate 41 when having a smooth surface remains stationary when the pallet 21 is elevated t-o raise the plastic block. If it is desired to ornament the rear face of the block the face plate 41 will have its inner surface provided with suitable means for forming the desired design, in which case it is necessary to swing the tace plate 41 out of engagement with the block before the same is elevated. To accomplish thisl connect the tace platef4l at its lower edge with a vertically swinging broad flat strip 42. The upper surface of the broad lat strip 42 is flush with the upper surface of the strip 21, to form a continuation of the strip 21 to support the plastic material when the face plate 41 is moved outwardly, as will be apparent, for increasing the size or width of the block. The rear face plate 41 is provided at its lower edge with an outwardly extending iange 43, carrying bolts 44, which operate in transverse slots 45 formed through support 42. It is thus seen that when the support is in its normal position, upon proper manipulation of bolts 44, the face plate 41 may be moved toward or away from face plate 5 to change the size of the block to be molded. Rigidly connected with the ends of the support 42 are Lshaped brackets 46, pivotally connected with the end pieces 1, as shown at 47. The outward swing of the brackets 46 is limited by stops 48, disposed in the path of travel of the horizontal arms of the brackets, as shown. The brackets 4G are looked in their vertical positions by sliding bolts 49, which operate through openings formed in the vertical arms of the brackets 46 and end pieces 1, as shown. The sliding bolts are moved longitudinally by a horizontal lever 50, pivoted to the lower surface of the support 42, as shown at 51. The face plate 41 is provided upon its outer surface with a handle 41, as shown.

The operation of the machine is as follows Assuming that the forward face plate 5 is in its closed position and that the pallet 21 is in its lowermost position, the concrete or other plastic material of which the block is to be formed, is fed into the space formed by the face plates, end pieces, and cores. This plastic material is suitably tamped and allowed to remain a suitable time to properly harden if this is necessary. It is now assumed that the plastic block has onlyT its forward ,face ornamented and that the inner surface of the face plate 41 is smooth. The operator now swings the hand lever 14 to move the free ends of the latch rods 12 out of the openings 11 of the lugs 10, and subsequently places his foot on the treadle 37 and moves it downwardly. When this is done the sprocket chains 36 turn the pivoted ele ments or wheels 30 counter-clockwise, whereby pitmen 2S and 32 are simultaneously moved. The pitman 32 moves the swinging support carrying the face plate 5, so that such face plate is moved out of engagement with the block, subsequently to which the pallet-bed 20 and pallet 21 are moved upwardly to elevate the plastic block out of engagement with the cores 18, end pieces 1, and face plate 41. When it is desired to make the plastic blocks with all of their faces smooth, the face plate 5 has its` inner surface smooth and remains in its closed position. This is done by dispensing with the pitman 32. The remaining operation of the machine is similar to that above given. When it is desired to ornament both the forward and rear faces of the block, the rear face plate 41 has its inner face provided with design forming means. ln this case the face plate 41 is swung to its open position before the treadle or foot bar 37 is forced downwardly, as above described.

In practice, I prefer to construct the sliding blocks 24 sufficiently heavy to return the diil'erent parts of the device to their normal positions when released.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that certain changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined c aim.

IjIaving thus described my invention, I claim In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a vertically reciprocatory base plate and a vertically swinging face plate of a molding machine, of a pinion rotatably mounted upon the outer surface of each end of the molding machine, reciprocatory means disposed below the base plate and connected with the base plate to move the same, a depending pitman pivotally connected with each pinion and the reciprocatory means, a laterally extending Pitman pivotally connected with each pinion and t-he swinging face plate, a depending sprocket 15 chain engaging the pinion, and a movable .treadle connected with sprocket chain.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

